China’s ‘companionship economy’ turns company into a paid service

On the stone steps leading up Mount Tai, one of China’s best-known peaks, hikers can book and ‌pay for “climbing buddies” to walk with them, carry bags and take photos for a few hundred yuan. The increasingly popular service is part of a broader “companionship economy” emerging in China, which includes paid partners for running, sightseeing and even eating out at hotpot restaurants – a meal traditionally shared with friends. Report Ad Providers, often students or ​young gig workers, advertise on social media with promises of “emotional value” conversation, and practical help, turning what was once an ​experience or favour among friends into a bookable – and payable – service. While there is no official data about ⁠the size of the companion economy, estimates cited by state media said it was worth around 50 billion yuan ($7. 4 billion) in 2025. The ​trend reflects broader shifts in China’s urban lifestyles and service economy. Researchers and state media have described growing demand for “emotional consumption” as young ​people live and work farther from family networks, face longer working hours and have a harder time maintaining traditional social ties. China’s prolonged youth unemployment has coincided with – and contributed to – a growing reliance on gig and flexible work among young people, as graduates and job seekers turn to delivery, ride‐hailing and ​other online platform work in the absence of stable jobs. Official data shows China has more than 200 million so-called flexible workers. Paying for company After leaving the army in 2022, Chen Wenxin founded a hiking-companion company, with a focus on the eastern province of Shandong. “I have always been ‌a hiker ⁠and have a lot of hiking experience, “ Chen said. “I noticed rising demand in the hiking escort service, then decided to try my hand in the field. ” His team has expanded from fewer than 10 workers to about 370 now. He said the company charges 800 yuan ($116) for daytime climbs on Mount Tai, the highest point in Shandong. Psychotherapist Sami Wong, managing director of research firm 3Drips Psychology, said the appeal ​of paid companions is partly about ​certainty and control in a ⁠social environment that can otherwise feel like a lot of effort and high-risk. Meeting people requires emotional labour and investment, she said, and “the outcome is very uncertain, ” which creates anxiety. Paid companionship can help ​customers avoid the sting of rejection. “When you pay for this service, you always get a ’yes, ” Wong ​said. Tang Junxing, 24, a ⁠junior at a university in the southern Chinese city of Guilin, said he earns pocket money as a travel companion. The side gig started when a university professor asked him to be her driver on a week-long road trip. “That’s when I realised you can actually make money ⁠by accompanying ​people on trips and driving for them, ” he said. Tang says he typically ​earns 3, 000 to 5, 000 yuan a month. “Most of my clients are women and their core need is emotional value, someone who makes them feel good and makes the ​trip easy, ” he said.

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